Not Alone
by Lorie-TSL
Summary: Based on "A Kept Man". How does Cody feel when Zack replaces him as best friend? ONESHOT! Read and review:


**Hello people! It's been a while innit?:') haven't written in a while! Let's say I just haven't had the time of my life. I have had loads of issues, the most of them related to bullying, the worst thing ever (for me at least) but anyways, everything is kinda sorted out now. Well I decided to write this story about my favorite twins ever. It's based on the episode "A Kept Man". Enjoy, be free criticize!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned The Suite Life…dreaming is free, right? Anyways, I don't own it. ((yet)) xD**

Cody couldn't believe what he was hearing from his brother. He was hurt, but mostly shocked, he couldn't believe it.

"Don't bother, have fun with your new best friend" He just stormed off to his room and locked the door. Zack was knocking but he couldn't think of anything but his brother's past actions. How could he replace him just like that? How could he leave him alone, without caring, without feeling guilty? What did Theo know about Zack? He knew nothing! Theo couldn't feel when Zack was hurt, or when he was lying, or when he was happy. Theo hadn't been there when their parents divorced, telling him everything would be okay. Theo hadn't helped Zack with every exam. So, almost 15 years making efforts for being Zack's other half. For being the perfect brother and a complete strange arrives, take him to a concert and give him a few "blink-blink" stuff and…everything thrown away. All he had done for being Zack's best friend was nothing now. Maybe they were actually growing apart. Cody felt tears forming in his eyes. 'He doesn't care about me. He knows the speech is very important to me. He knows that he's important to me, that I want him to be there for me, just for once. But, if he goes to my speech, what is he going to get? Just a very boring hour."

But he knew what he had to do.

"Zack has found a new friend. A new best friend. He's happy now, and I want him to be happy. If being best friends with me doesn't make him happy, I'll just leave him alone and leave him live their life with the ones he wants to."

Cody started crying, he didn't want to stay away from him, he was his brother! But, that was the right thing to do.

"I'll miss you, buddy. I'll miss you like hell" Cody whispered to himself before falling asleep.

Next Day...

Zack woke up freezing at 8 am. Mornings in Boston were really cold so he decided to get up and take a blanket. He saw Cody asleep and immediately, he felt a twist of pain and regret in his stomach. He couldn't take from his head what happened the day before.

"Maybe I should just go to the speech and make it up for him. But cmon! We're 15! We're two different people! Not because we're twins we have to stay together all the time! I need space and new friends. We always knew we'd have to grow apart at some point! Besides, Theo is a good person, very generous. I could always get some present to Cody. He's just jealous I can get new friends and he doesn't, but he'll get over it. So, let's not make it important."

His thoughts were interrupted by Cody's sounds, he was waking up. When he saw Zack in the same room, he got up and started t tidy his bed.

'Good Morning' Zack said. "I just have to treat him like I usually do. Make him see that I don't care if he gets mad at me cause I know he'll forgive me at the end"

Cody just looked at him and continue to tidy his bed.

'Oh, I see. Giving me the Silent Treatment, aren't you? Fine, I'll just go and cook my breakfast.'

But it wasn't fine, it wasn't fine at all. Now just because of the fact he would have to cook breakfast for himself (and that was just awful) because of the fact Cody didn't talk to him.

"Relax Zack. He will speak soon. He can't stay mad at you; you're his older brother, his only friend."

While he was cooking, or trying to, his room door opened and Cody went out, dressed up, putting money inside his wallet and grabbing his coat.

'Dude, where are you going at 8:30? Are you insane?'asked Zack. Cody didn't even look at him.

'Cody! It's not like I'm actually interested, you know? I couldn't care less what you decide to do with your morning. But when mum wakes up and sees you're not here, she is going to kill me with questions! So spill it out! Where are you going?'

Cody felt like someone punched him in the stomach. He knew Zack didn't care about him but he thought…he had the hope that he was mistaken. But he had just heard it from his brother's mouth. He started to feel a lump in his throat, anger in his eyes.

'I'm going to Starbucks. I don't want to have breakfast with such a jerk like you' and he closed the door.

'What the….?' Zack thought. Ugggh, those pancakes looked dreadful. He wasn't hungry anyways.

Next day went practically the same. Zack trying to hold a conversation, Cody ignoring him. Then Zack getting mad and saying things he didn't want to say but he said because of his pride, Cody leaving the room.

The speech day, Zack was feeling really low. He could see the pride in his mother's eyes when he encouraged Cody and the disappointment when she knew Zack was going to the concert. But the reason he was that way, was Cody. How could he being able to stop talking to him like that? Hopefully, the concert would cheer him up. He gave a final look to her mom and left the room.

1 hour later

"Theo is such a jerk! How could I ever think he gave me that stuff because he wanted to? I've never been angrier! What does he think I am? A guinea pig that he can use the way he wants to? And he insulted Cody…he DARED to insult my brother! Besides, he left me naked, in the street! Not that I really care, everybody is looking at me but…"

He had just thought about something. Cody. The speech. He was feeling so guilty now! He replaced his own brother for a total stranger. "I'm so stupid. Now I lost both. A "friend" and my real best friend. What an older brother I am".

3 hours later…

Zack, Cody and their mom arrived to the suite. It had been a very long evening; everybody loved the speech, even Zack. Cody was so happy. For once, he felt like "the cool twin" even if it was from the adult's point of view. Zack, otherwise, seemed sad.

'What do you guys want for dinner?' Carey asked. She wanted to make it even more special than it already was, she was so proud and, besides, her "Guilty Thing" had worked!

'Mom, I'm not hungry actually, I'm not feeling well' said Zack.

'Let me check' she put her hand on Zack's forehead. 'You don't seem to have a temperature, sweetie. Does anything hurt you?'

'No, mom. Don't worry, I'm just…tired and I don't know, I need to get some rest' and without any more word, he walked to his room.

Cody stared at him, worried. He was happy about the speech but happier because everything was sorted between him and his twin. He left Theo and came! Maybe he did care about him after all. He didn't know what could be happening to Zack, feeling so bad in a minute. What if….? No. No way. He'd never…well, maybe…

'Mom, I'll be right back, I'll order a pizza later' he followed Zack's steps and arrived to the room.

'Zack? Zack, it's me. Dude, what's wrong? We're gonna order pizza.'

He heard some fake snores from Zack's bed. It was worse than he imagined,

'Don't try to fool me, I know your snores, and I know you're awake'

Zack got up from the bed and turned the light on. Cody was surprised he was still all dressed up.

'So, are you going to tell me what is wrong with you or what?' Cody asked.

'There's nothing wrong with me.'

'C'mon! Tell me! You can tell me anything!'

'It's just…why am I angrier at myself than you are? Aren't you pissed I tried to replace you? How come you're not angry at me for being such a bad brother?'

Cody's eyes were wide with surprise. He knew Zack felt that way. Exactly the same as he imagined.

'I just hate the way I treated you these last days, that's it. I feel guilty, the guiltiest I've ever felt, and why? Because I don't know how…I don't know why I did what I did. I just…it's just not right.'Zack said. Cody could see tears in his eyes.

'I forgave you, I thought you knew that'

'But I can't forgive myself. No wonder you wanted to stay away from me' Zack started crying.

"This is a first" Cody thought.

'I did that because I thought you will be happier without such a nerdy annoying brother like me' said Cody in an attempt to make a joke. It didn't work. Zack began to cry harder.

"I have to fix this"

'Ok, Zack, listen to me. You don't get it, right? It doesn't matter you replaced me, it doesn't matter you are, according to you, a bad brother and it doesn't matter you didn't want to hear my speech. What really matters to me is that you came at the end. You were there when I needed to. That's what's important, that you came back.'

Zack looked at his brother and he felt so lucky. Cody wrapped his arms around him and hugged his twin.

'I love you, even though it doesn't seem like that sometimes' said Zack.

Okay, THAT was a first.

'I love you too' said Cody smiling. 'Cmon, let's order that pizza'

Zack followed him and he felt the luckiest boy ever. Because he will never be alone.

**So…Like it? Hate it? Just review and karma will give you a present ?) English is not my mother language so any typo or any grammatical mistakes TELL ME!**

**Lorie xx**


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